Stampede, city, county agree on basic points

The Stampede, city of Greeley and Weld County made public Monday their agreement to negotiate a deal that includes keeping Greeley in the name of the city’s signature summer event.

The three parties also announced that all had agreed to:

– Keeping the Stampede in Greeley for the long term.

– Making Island Grove Regional Park improvements.

Specifics about the agreements have yet to be revealed ” the three parties will have another round of negotiations next week.

For now, the announcement has raised many questions: What park improvements will be made? Where will the money some from? What did the negotiating parties mean by the statement that Greeley will be “included in the presentation” of the Stampede name? And how long is a long-term commitment?

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Those close to negotiations say the reason there aren’t answers yet is because nothing has been settled.

But the mere fact that the three parties agreed to agree put a smile on many faces Monday.

The Stampede committee ignited ire last month when it announced it would change the name of city’s signature summer event to the “Rocky Mountain Stampede.”

Ever since, Stampede committee members have faced pressure from elected officials, Stampede volunteers and Weld residents critical of the change.

Many suspect the Stampede is positioning itself for a move from Greeley.

The controversy spurred the Stampede committee and city and county officials to look at ways to settle the dispute to everyone’s advantage.

And each side has a bargaining chip. The Stampede can make the community happy by reintroducing Greeley to the name and making a long-term commitment to holding the event at Island Grove. In return, the city and county can finance the Stampede committee’s multimillion-dollar request for park improvements such as paving parking lots, remodeling the east end of the arena and buying private property adjacent to park boundaries.